Largest Talmudic College In The Country Switches Gears To Care For Community In Need - Creates Not-For-Profit That Supplies Over 80,000 Passover Meals
Rabbi Aaron Kotler, President and CEO of Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG) in Lakewood, New Jersey and BMG Board Members Eli and Toby Tabak Managed the Initiative by Phone, In their Home, While Self-Quarantined with their Families
Their Mission: Stop the Spread of COVID-19 by Discouraging Passover Shopping Trips and Large Gatherings
LAKEWOOD, N.J., April 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), the largest Talmudic college in the United States, has turned the school into a massive food distribution operation as it urges people not to shop and not to visit family this Passover amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The school, utilizing an extensive volunteer network has prepared and is now distributing via drive-thru more than 80,000 kosher meals for local families ahead of the start of Passover on Wednesday night.
The initiative is the brainchild of a small team led by Rabbi Aaron Kotler, Eli and Toby Tabak, and a small group of their friends. They are managing everything from their homes while self-quarantined. The group wanted to prevent the spread of the virus and, while isolated, they created the idea of a 'Pesach-box' to make sure families would be able to stay home and safely enjoy a Passover meal.
The educational institution partnered with local distributors, grocers, and supermarkets – getting everything from food to important religious symbols to kitchen needs like spatulas to hand out to families. More than 100 volunteers are working to pull the project off.
They created a website to take orders from families and used the school's kosher kitchen to prepare meals ahead of the holiday.
In addition to prepared meals, the group also created and sold Passover kitchen essentials, as typically an Orthodox home uses an entirely new set of kitchenware for the Passover week.
Another initiative of the group was the creation of a nightly supper program, called Emergency Supper Service, which delivers fresh hot dinners to local families for $6 per meal.
All these projects have one goal – to ensure social distancing.
About Beth Medrash Govoha
Founded in 1943 by Rabbi Aaron Kotler, grandfather of Rabbi Kotler, BMG is a licensed and accredited institution of higher education that is located in Lakewood, New Jersey. BMG stands as the center of Orthodox Jewish life in North America and for much of the world.
SOURCE Beth Medrash Govoha
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